DOCSLIB.ORG

HIS 336: the Revolutionary Era: Slavery and the American Revolution 1764-1789 (GHP/ GMO) RM: 2211 MHRA Time: 5:00-6:15 Mon

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
HIS 336: the Revolutionary Era: Slavery and the American Revolution 1764-1789 (GHP/ GMO) RM: 2211 MHRA Time: 5:00-6:15 Mon HIS 336: The Revolutionary Era: Slavery and the American Revolution 1764-1789 (GHP/ GMO) RM: 2211 MHRA Time: 5:00-6:15 Mon. and Wed. Instructor: Richard Smith ([email protected]) Office Hours: MHRA 2104 2:30-4:30 M,W Department of History: https://his.uncg.edu/ https://www.facebook.com/UNCGDepartmentofHistory/ Course Introduction: The primary purpose of this course is to discuss the close connections between slavery and the Revolutionary Era. The American Revolution is the most pivotal moment in American History as it created the United States. During the American Revolution an Englishman, Dr. Samuel Johnson posited the question: “How is it that we hear the loudest yelps of liberty from the drivers of Negroes?” This quote suggests the close relationship between slavery and the push for revolution against Great Britain. For many Southerners during this period, the push for independence and their participation in the creation of state and national governments was an effort to secure and protect slavery as an economic, political, and social institution. Blacks, both enslaved and free, also played a crucial role in the conflict for both sides and their participation had a profound impact on the southern states. General Education Historical Perspectives (GHP): 1. Students will apply a historical approach to analyze and contextualize primary and secondary sources. 2. Students will use evidence to interpret the past coherently, orally, and/or writing. Course Objectives/Learning Outcomes: 1. Students will be able to recognize slavery as a political issue. 2. Students will learn to identify the connections between slavery and the American Revolution. 3. Students will be able to think critically and analytically through primary and secondary source analysis. Course Layout: This course is divided into four separate sections or historical eras. Class structure: Each class will consist of two sections. The first will consist of a lecture component. The purpose of the lecture is to provide a contextual coherency to the course material. Lectures will provide key information relating to that day’s particular topic listed on the syllabus. The second half of the class will consist of a class discussion relating to the primary sources and the secondary reading assigned for that particular day. This discussion is vital to understanding the material relating to the course and class participation formulates a crucial part of your grade. Therefore, YOU ARE EXPECETED TO COME TO CLASS PREPARED TO DISCUSS THE READINGS. Quizzes maybe given and will count towards your participation grade. Grading: The grade breakdown is as follows: 1. Class Participation/Attendance (30%) 2. Analytical Essays (70%) Assignments: 1. Class Participation/Attendance: History is a continuous dialogue between the past and the present. This makes participation an essential part of any college history course and, therefore, a large portion of your grade. Although there maybe opportunities for you to answer questions during lecture, a large portion of your participation grade will come from the discussion portion of the course. I am not interested in how often you participate, instead I am interested in the quality of your response. (GHP SLO1, SLO2) 2. Analytical Essays: During the semester each student will write four analytical essays based on the material covered in class and in the readings. For these assignments, I will provide you with a question and you are required to answer it using evidence from the lectures and course readings to support your argument. Each essay will be 5-7 double- spaced pages, Times New Roman 12pt Font. All of your source material must be cited utilizing the Chicago Style Format (https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide/citation-guide-1.html) Due dates for these assignments are listed on the course syllabus. You are required to hand in a hard copy of your paper in class on the respective due dates. YOU ARE NOT TO USE ANY OUTSIDE MATERIALS SUCH AS WEBSITES (except American Yawp). FAILURE TO ADHERE TO THE ABOVE INSTRUCTIONS WILL RESULT IN A ZERO FOR THE ASSIGNMENT. (GHP SLO1, SLO2) Due Dates: First Paper: September 16, 2019 Second Paper: October 23, 2019 Third Paper: November 11, 2019 Fourth Paper: December 4, 2019 PLEASE NOTE: Plagiarism is a very serious issue and will be dealt with accordingly. Akin to theft, plagiarism falls into two broad categories: intentional and unintentional. Intentional plagiarism constitutes the willingness of an individual to claim sole authorship of another individual’s written work. Unintentional plagiarism occurs when an author disregards proper citing procedures. The best piece of advice regarding avoiding plagiarism is to quote and cite everything, especially if you are unsure whether or not it should be cited. The following websites provide additional information with regards to plagiarism and how to avoid it: Duke University Plagiarism Tutorial https://plagiarism.duke.edu/def/, UNCG Defines Plagiarism: https://osrr.uncg.edu/academic-integrity/violations-and-sanctions/plagiarism/, UNCG’S Academic Integrity Policy: https://osrr.uncg.edu/academic-integrity/ 3. There will be no exams given in this course. Course Materials: 1 Readings: These are listed on the course syllabus and are available through Canvas. If you have any trouble accessing this material, please let the instructor know ASAP. 2 Notetaking: Successful navigation of this course requires accurate note taking both during the lectures and the readings. Successfully passing this course requires the ability to differentiate between extraneous information and key concepts and ideas. Therefore, you are expected to come to class with a notebook, or laptop, and a writing utensil to take notes. Please note, although there is a no assigned text for this course, a well written overview of the major events of the period is found at The American Yawp. Viewing this site will help further contextualize the materials covered in the course. http://www.americanyawp.com/text/05-the-american-revolution/ Course Policies: 1. Electronics: This course follows the old school philosophy of learning in a college course. Cell Phones are expected to be turned off and stowed away for the duration of the course. You may utilize a laptop for note taking only and you must sit in the front of the classroom. If you are caught once surfing the web, or sending messages during class, I will revoke this privilege as it is a distraction and a disruption to your fellow students and rude to the instructor. 2. Attendance/Tardiness: Since this is a lecture and discussion-based course, it is imperative that you attend class each week at the scheduled time. Attendance will be taken every time class meets. You are allowed three unexcused absences over the course of the semester. Anything after these will have an adverse effect upon your participation grade. If you are not in class, then you cannot participate. If you have an excused absence ,you must let the instructor know at least an hour before the class is scheduled to meet. You will be allowed to arrive to class ten minutes after the course has begun. After ten minutes the doors will be shut and you will not be allowed to enter as it is disruptive to your fellow students. 3. Contact: The instructor can be reached either through email or Canvas as well as during the posted office hours. If you would like to meet with me to discuss aspects of the course material and cannot meet at the appointed times, please send me an email so that we can work out a time that works. Though I check my email frequently, please allow 24-48 hours for a response to your inquiry. (Most emails will be answered well before this time.) 4. Late Work: Late work will not be accepted without approved arrangement made ahead of time. You are expected to get your work completed and turned in on time. Plagiarism: Plagiarism is a very serious issue and will be dealt with accordingly. Akin to theft, plagiarism falls into two broad categories: intentional and unintentional. Intentional plagiarism constitutes the willingness of an individual to claim sole authorship of another individual’s written work. Unintentional plagiarism occurs when an author disregards proper citing procedures. The best piece of advice regarding avoiding plagiarism is to cite everything, especially if you are unsure whether or not it should be cited. The following websites provide additional information with regards to plagiarism and how to avoid it: Duke University Plagiarism Tutorial https://plagiarism.duke.edu/def/, UNCG Defines Plagiarism: https://osrr.uncg.edu/academic-integrity/violations-and-sanctions/plagiarism/, UNCG’S Academic Integrity Policy: https://osrr.uncg.edu/academic-integrity/ Academic Accommodations: All disabilities should be registered with the Office of Accessibility Resources and Services (OARS). The friendly and knowledgeable staff will work with you to ensure that you receive the necessary accommodations. The following link provides information regarding the services offered by OARS as well as way to contact them: https://ods.uncg.edu/ Further readings: If you are interested at any point in the semester about learning more about some of the people, places, and events discussed in this course, please feel free to send me an email and I will provide you with a list of books to further your interest. Class Schedule Class 1-August 21, 2019- Course Logistics/Introduction: How is slavery relevant to the American Revolution? Readings: Matthew Mason “Slavery And Politics
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Black Pilots, Patriots, and Pirates: African-American Participation in the Virginia State and British Navies During the Revolutionary War in Virginia
    W&M ScholarWorks Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects 2000 Black Pilots, Patriots, and Pirates: African-American Participation in the Virginia State and British Navies during the Revolutionary War in Virginia Kolby Bilal College of William & Mary - Arts & Sciences Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd Part of the African History Commons, European History Commons, Military History Commons, and the United States History Commons Recommended Citation Bilal, Kolby, "Black Pilots, Patriots, and Pirates: African-American Participation in the Virginia State and British Navies during the Revolutionary War in Virginia" (2000). Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects. Paper 1539626268. https://dx.doi.org/doi:10.21220/s2-4hv4-ds79 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects at W&M ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects by an authorized administrator of W&M ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. BLACK PILOTS, PATRIOTS, AND PIRATES African-American Participation in the Virginia State and British Navies During the Revolutionary War in Virginia A Thesis Presented to The Faculty of the Department of History The College of William and Mary in Virginia In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts by Kolby Bilal 2000 APPROVAL SHEET This thesis is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts by Bilal Approved, April 2000 James Axtell John Sel f U J Ronald Schecter For Michael and all of the other African American navy veterans who preceded him honor, courage, and dignity TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS v ABSTRACT vi INTRODUCTION 2 CHAPTER I 11 CHAPTER II 29 CONCLUSION 39 BIBLIOGRAPHY 43 VITA 47 iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to express my appreciation to Professor James Axtell, under whose guidance this thesis was prepared, for his attempts to make me a better writer.
    [Show full text]
  • The American Revolution
    The American Revolution The American Revolution Theme One: When hostilities began in 1775, the colonists were still fighting for their rights as English citizens within the empire, but in 1776 they declared their independence, based on a proclamation of universal, “self-evident” truths. Review! Long-Term Causes • French & Indian War; British replacement of Salutary Neglect with Parliamentary Sovereignty • Taxation policies (Grenville & Townshend Acts); • Conflicts (Boston Massacre & Tea Party, Intolerable Acts, Lexington & Concord) • Spark: Common Sense & Declaration of Independence Second Continental Congress (May, 1775) All 13 colonies were present -- Sought the redress of their grievances, NOT independence Philadelphia State House (Independence Hall) Most significant acts: 1. Agreed to wage war against Britain 2. Appointed George Washington as leader of the Continental Army Declaration of the Causes & Necessity of Taking up Arms, 1775 1. Drafted a 2nd set of grievances to the King & British People 2. Made measures to raise money and create an army & navy Olive Branch Petition -- Moderates in Congress, (e.g. John Dickinson) sought to prevent a full- scale war by pledging loyalty to the King but directly appealing to him to repeal the “Intolerable Acts.” Early American Victories A. Ticonderoga and Crown Point (May 1775) (Ethan Allen-Vt, Benedict Arnold-Ct B. Bunker Hill (June 1775) -- Seen as American victory; bloodiest battle of the war -- Britain abandoned Boston and focused on New York In response, King George declared the colonies in rebellion (in effect, a declaration of war) 1.18,000 Hessians were hired to support British forces in the war against the colonies. 2. Colonials were horrified Americans failed in their invasion of Canada (a successful failure-postponed British offensive) The Declaration of Independence A.
    [Show full text]
  • The Role of Blacks in the Revolutionary War
    Title of Unit: The Forgotten Patriots: The Role of Blacks in the Revolutionary War Vital theme of the unit: Students will learn how African Americans were important in the war effort. Author and contact information: Tammie McCarroll-Burroughs Lenoir City Elementary School 203 Kelley Lane Lenoir City, Tennessee 37771 Phone: (865) 986-2009 ex. # 7349 Email: [email protected] [email protected] Grade Level: Intermediate – Fourth or Fifth Grade Curriculum Standards Addressed: 4.5.6; 4.5.7; 4.5.8; 4.5.11; 4.6.2; 4.6.3 Technology Used: Primary Source Materials Provided in Lessons: Discharge Papers of Oliver Cromwell Newspaper Article from Burlington Gazette Affidavit of Service and Need of Pension Affidavits of Martin Black’s Service and Need of Pension Transcript of Craven County Court Minutes – Included in Background Information Pension Record Approval Page Listing Amount of Pension Additional Sources for Teachers in Separate Folder: Peter Salem Documents and Excerpt from Patriots of Color Phylllis Wheatley Selected Poems and Letter from George Washington Related Web Sites for More Information Unit introduction and overview of instructional plan: Over the course of this unit, students will gain understanding of the roles of freed and enslaved African American Patriots through lessons that go beyond the lessons taught in the textbook. The lessons are based on events and issues that may not necessarily be covered in the textbook. The two selected soldiers and their Pension Records are not identified in our textbook. Peter Salem is identified by name in one lesson of the Fourth Grade text Early United States (Harcourt Brace).
    [Show full text]
  • GRADE 4 Module 3B Unit 1 Student Workbook
    New Yo r k State Common Core English Language Arts Curriculum GRADE 4 Module 3B Unit 1 Student Workbook Mystery Picture "The massacre perpetrated in King Street Boston on March 5th 1770", Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Libraruy of Congress. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/cph.3a45748/ 1 Gallery Walk Document 1 Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C LC-DIG-ppmsca-15704 2 Gallery Walk Document 2 Daniels, John H. & Sons. "The Battle of Lexington". Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2004669976/ 3 Gallery Walk Document 2 allery Walk Document 3 Currier & Ives., "Destruction of tea at Boston Harbor". Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/cph.3b52022/ 4 Gallery Walk Document 4 Library of Congress, Rare Book and Special Collections Division 5 Gallery Walk Document 5 Library of Congress, Rare Book and Special Collections Division 6 Gallery Walk Document 6 Declaration of Independence (US 1776) 7 Gallery Walk Document 7 Currier, N."Declaration of Independence: July 4th 1776". Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/cph.3b50118/ 8 Gallery Walk Document 8 “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” 9 What Do You See? Note-catcher Part I: Mystery Picture Name: Date: Observations (NOTICE) Inferences Knowledge Describe exactly what you see Say what you conclude from Summarize what you already in the photo.
    [Show full text]
  • House Armed Services Committee Patriots
    Thirty-Nine House Armed Services Committee Members of 20 States Represent Residences of African American Soldiers, Sailors and Patriots of the Revolutionary War Prepared for Senators Joseph Lieberman and Charles Grassley NATIONAL MALL LIBERTY FUND DC www.libertyfunddc.org Maurice A. Barboza [email protected] 703-299-0408 Member State District District Patriot State Patriot (at least) (at least) Mike Rogers Alabama AL - 3rd 1 1 Martha Roby Alabama AL - 2nd 0 1 Mo Brooks Alabama AL - 5th 0 1 Jeff Miller Florida FL - 1st 24 24 Thomas J. Rooney Florida FL - 16th 0 24 Allen West Florida FL - 22nd 0 24 Austin Scott Georgia GA - 8th Possible 29** Bobby Schilling Illinois IL - 17th Possible 1 Todd Young Indiana IN - 9th 2 3 John C. Fleming Louisiana LA - 4th Possible 66* Roscoe G. Bartlett Maryland MD - 6th 4 109* Frank A. LoBiondo New Jersey NJ - 2nd 7 63* Jon Runyan New Jersey NJ - 3rd 2* 63* Chris Gibson New York NY - 20th Possible 177** Walter B. Jones North Carolina NC -3rd 18 252 Michael Turner Ohio OH - 3rd Possible 1 (Grave) Bill Shuster Pennsylvania PA - 9th Possible 108** Todd Russell Platts Pennsylvania PA - 19th Possible 108** Joe Wilson South Carolina SC - 2nd 7 120 Scott Rigell Virginia VA - 2nd 21 595 J. Randy Forbes Virginia VA - 4th 58 595 Rob Wittman Virginia VA - 1st 138 595 Joe Courtney Connecticut CT - 2nd 274 821 Hank Johnson Georgia GA - 4th Possible 29** David Loebsack Iowa IO - 2nd 1 1 Chellie Pingree Maine ME - 1st 58 78 C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger Maryland MD - 2nd 12 109* Niki Tsongas Massachusetts MA - 5th 113 1,570 Rob Andrews New Jersey NJ - 1st 2* 63* William L.
    [Show full text]
  • Mcrofilms ]Hteniatloiial
    M cro film s ]hteniatLoiial \_____________I— 1.0 e 1^ : m i.i 1.8 1.25 1 1.4 1.6 MICROCOPY RESOLUTION TEST CHART NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS STANDARD REFERENCE MATERIAL 1010a (ANSI and ISO TEST CHART No. 2) University Microfilms Inc. 300 N. Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48106 ReprocJuceij with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproctuction prohibitect without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. INFORMATION TO USERS This reproduction was made from a copy of a manuscript sent to us for publication and microfilming. While the most advanced technology has been used to pho­ tograph and reproduce this manuscript, the quality of the reproduction is heavily dependent upon the quality of the material submitted. Pages in any manuscript may have indistinct print. In all cases the best available copy has been filmed. The following explanation of techniques is provided to help clarify notations which may appear on this reproduction. 1. Manuscripts may not always be complete. When it is not possible to obtain missing pages, a note appears to indicate this. 2. When copyrighted materials are removed from the manuscript, a note ap­ pears to indicate this. 3. Oversize materials (maps, drawings, and charts) are photographed by sec­ tioning the original, beginning at the upper left hand comer and continu­ ing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Each oversize page is also filmed as one exposure and is available, for an additional charge, as a standard 35mm slide or in black and white paper format.* 4.
    [Show full text]
  • African-Americans in the American Revolution As
    Jennifer DePaoli EDUP&L 863 November 7, 2010 Curriculum Development Project: African-Americans in the American Revolution As the English colonies in the New World became more developed and populated, conflicts began to arise between England and the colonists. After providing troops and money for fighting of the French and Indian War, the British Parliament passed legislation to tax the colonies, but colonial leaders, unhappy with the idea of “taxation without representation,” began organizing around the idea of independence. As Britain attempted to enact laws to control the colonies, skirmishes broke out between British soldiers and colonists, and as tensions grew, Patriot leaders began to see the need for building a fighting force. Led by General George Washington, the Continental Army began forming regiments throughout the colonies, but many of its leaders, including Washington, struggled with including African-Americans – both freedmen and slaves – amongst the ranks of white soldiers. However, by the time the war was over and the colonies earned their independence, many African- Americans fought on both sides and played important roles both on and off the battlefield. African-Americans at the time of the Revolution In 1775, Britain and the American colonies were inching closer to war over independence, and at the same time there were approximately 450,000 Africans enslaved in all thirteen colonies (National Park Service [NPS], 2008). While the majority of slavery existed in the south, Africans were treated as second class citizens across the board, and in the discussion of colonial liberty, slaves were not included in the conversation. The irony of white colonists fighting for their freedom while simultaneously holding slaves was not completely lost on all Patriot leaders.
    [Show full text]
  • Black Revolutionaries
    ABSTRACT By the early decades of the nineteenth century, the Revolutionary rallying cries of liberty and equality rang false to the more than 1.5 million black individuals living in bondage throughout the new United States. Drury Scott, a free black veteran of the American Revolution, represents an example of the contradictions of Revolutionary rhetoric and the promotion of race-based slavery in the new nation. When he stood before the Fayette County, Kentucky Circuit Court on the first day of July 1820, Scott, made an important political statement: That even though his rights had been restricted based on his skin color over the years since the war’s end, he still deserved “the support of his country” as a veteran of the Revolution and his dedication to the Patriot cause. This project seeks to place black military service at the center of questions over race, citizenship, freedom, and the nature of the republic both during and after the conflict. My approach focuses on pension documents, originally filed in local county courthouses throughout the new nation. These rich resources demonstrate the ways that free people of color understood the meaning of the Revolution at a time when state legislatures passed laws that restricted their freedoms and secured the institution of race- based slavery. The project argues that black veterans and their widows actively engaged in the creation of local memory of the war by recounting their war stories. County level documents also suggest that veterans and their families had a complex understanding of the legal system and utilized local paradigms of gender and race to protect their limited rights.
    [Show full text]
  • Module 3B: Unit 1: Lesson 7 Reading for Main Idea and Supporting Details: More Perspectives During the Revolutionary War
    Grade 4: Module 3B: Unit 1: Lesson 7 Reading for Main Idea and Supporting Details: More Perspectives During the Revolutionary War This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Exempt third-party content is indicated by the footer: © (name of copyright holder). Used by permission and not subject to Creative Commons license. GRADE 4: MODULE 3B: UNIT 1: LESSON 7 Reading for Main Idea and Supporting Details: Black Perspectives During the Revolutionary War Long-Term Targets Addressed (Based on NYSP12 ELA CCLS) I can explain what a text says using specific details from the text. (RI.4.1) I can determine the main idea using specific details from the text. (RI.4.2) I can determine the meaning of content words or phrases in an informational text. (RI.4.4) Supporting Learning Targets Ongoing Assessment • I can determine the gist of the text “An Incomplete Revolution.” • “An Incomplete Revolution” gist statement • I can explain what the text says about the different perspectives of African Americans during the • Answers to Text-Dependent Questions: “An Incomplete American Revolution. Revolution” • I can find the meanings of unfamiliar words to help me better understand the “An Incomplete Revolution” text. Copyright © 2013 by Expeditionary Learning, New York, NY. All Rights Reserved. NYS Common Core ELA Curriculum • G4:M3B:U1:L7 • June 2014 • 1 GRADE 4: MODULE 3B: UNIT 1: LESSON 7 Reading for Main Idea and Supporting Details: Black Perspectives During the Revolutionary War Agenda Teaching Notes 1. Opening • This lesson follows the same basic format as Lessons 2 and 4.
    [Show full text]
  • Monument Au Massacre De Boston Et À Crispus Attucks : Un Acte De Justice Trop Longtemps Différé
    LA SCULPTURE TRIOMPHANTE : 1850-1880 64 LA SCULPTURE TRIOMPHANTE : 1850-1880 Histoire et commémoration Le Monument au Massacre de Boston et à Crispus Attucks : un acte de justice trop longtemps différé Renée Ater Associate Professor Emerita, University of Maryland, USA Le 14 novembre 1888, la population de tyrannie, il laissa au petit bas-relief ornant le pié- Boston, les représentants de la ville et ceux de destal le soin de relater la mort de Crispus Attucks l’État du Massachusetts étaient rassemblés dans (1723-1770) et de ses compatriotes. À Boston, deux le Boston Common pour assister à l’inauguration groupes souhaitaient rendre hommage à ce héros : du Monument au Massacre de Boston et à Crispus d’un côté, les Africains-Américains emmenés par Attucks. Des milliers d’hommes et de femmes, William Cooper Nell, historien amateur et fervent blancs et noirs, appartenant aux élites comme abolitionniste ; de l’autre, un groupe interracial aux classes laborieuses, s’étaient massés le long de d’éminents citoyens comprenant notamment John Charles Street et de Beacon Street pour écouter les Quincy Adams, Archibald Henry Grimké et Henry discours du gouverneur du Massachusetts et du Cabot Lodge. Dès 1851, Nell lança une campagne maire de Boston. Dessiné par Adolph Robert Kraus pour que soit élevé un monument public à la (1850-1901), un sculpteur d’origine allemande, mémoire d’Attucks et, dans un livre paru en 1855, et conçu pour rappeler le premier affrontement The Colored Patriots of the American Revolution with sanglant de la Révolution américaine, le monument Sketches of Several Distinguished Persons (fig.
    [Show full text]
  • North Carolina's Black Patriots of the American Revolution
    NORTH CAROLINA’S BLACK PATRIOTS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION by W. Trevor Freeman May, 2020 Director of Thesis: Dr. Gerald Prokopowicz Major Department: History This thesis explores the service of an estimated 468 black men who fought for the American cause during the Revolutionary War. Specifically, it examines those who resided in North Carolina or fought under the forces of this state. While the war largely did not fulfill its egalitarian potential for free and enslaved people of color, the armed service of these men—and their later status as veterans—brought them a mixed array of benefits. This study reveals why these men served, how they affected the war, and how their participation in the military impacted them, their families, and the larger community of people of color within North Carolina. It will show the geographic, economic, and social factors that influenced their enlistment into the Continental and militia forces of the state, as well as the ways their varied service fostered camaraderie and connections with other soldiers. It juxtaposes the ways the war failed veterans— black and white—economically with the tenuous but appreciable social gains made by North Carolina’s black veterans: gains that ultimately receded as the living legacy of these soldiers disappeared. Examining these unique soldiers of North Carolina is particularly important as article and even monograph-length treatments of black soldiers in other states exist. This scholarship, specifically focusing on black Patriot soldiers in a Southern state and employing rudimentary quantitative assessments, fills a historiographical void and provides greater understanding of the plight of free people of color within early North Carolina society.
    [Show full text]
  • African American State Volunteers in the New South: Race, Masculinity & the Militia in Georgia, Texas and Virginia, 1871–
    AFRICAN AMERICAN STATE VOLUNTEERS IN THE NEW SOUTH: RACE, MASCULINITY & THE MILITIA IN GEORGIA, TEXAS AND VIRGINIA, 1871–1906 A Dissertation by JOHN PATRICK BLAIR Submitted to the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Chair of Committee, Joseph G. Dawson, III Committee Members, R. J. Q. Adams Carlos K. Blanton Charles E. Brooks James S. Burk Head of Department, David Vaught August 2016 Major Subject: History Copyright 2016 John Patrick Blair ABSTRACT The continued presence of armed, uniformed black militia companies throughout the southern United States from 1871 to 1906 illustrates one of the highest achievements of African Americans in this period. Granted, following emancipation the nation’s newest citizens established churches, entered the political arena, created educational and business opportunities and even formed labor organizations, but the formation and existence of these militia organizations with their inherent ability to enter into violent confrontation with the society that surrounded them coupled with the heightened status and prestige they obtained as citizen soldiers firmly defines the pinnacle of achievement. Through a comparative examination of their experiences and activities as members in the state volunteer military organizations of Georgia, Texas and Virginia, this study seeks to expand our understanding of racial accommodation and relationships during this period. The existence of racial accommodation in society, however minor, towards the African American military is confirmed not only in the actions of state government and military officials to arm, equip and train these black troops, but also in the acceptance of clearly visible and authorized military activities by these very same troops.
    [Show full text]